The chief ministers of northern states on Thursday described drugs as a "national problem" and decided to set up a joint working group to share experiences and best practices to tackle the menace.
At the second Regional Conference on Drug Menace, Challenges and Strategies here, the states expressed concern over the inflow of drugs from Pakistan, Afghanistan, Nigeria and other countries, and called for closer collaboration to fight the problem and make the region "drugs free".
In a joint statement, the chief ministers of Punjab, Rajasthan, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, as well as top officials from Delhi, Jammu and Kashmir, and Chandigarh, agreed on a series of powerful measures to eradicate the drugs problem in the region. The event was also attended by officials of the Intelligence Bureau, Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) and other central agencies.
The measures included joint operations at the interstate borders, information sharing and implementation of the best practices of the participating states, the statement said.
There was consensus among the states on the importance of strengthening the information-sharing mechanism on drugs, drug dealers and smugglers for an effective crackdown. The states agreed to launch major awareness programmes to make the eradication of drugs a peoples' movement, it said.
The single-day conference recognised drugs as a national problem that needed collective efforts of all the states for its successful eradication. It proposed to jointly press the Centre to come out with a national drugs policy in order to effectively tackle the menace.
The states also agreed to urge the central government to establish a regional drug dependence treatment centre in Chandigarh region on the lines of the National Drug Dependence Treatment Centre (NDDTC), AIIMS, New Delhi.
They agreed to consider opening a regional training centre in Chandigarh for training of investigators for proper investigation of the cases under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act.
"We believe that these efforts will go a long way in eradicating this scourge from the region, thus protecting our youth and our future generations, and ensuring a safe, secure and healthy society," according to the statement.
The states said they were committed to strengthen the process of consultation and cooperation, and collaborate more closely for making the region 'nasha mukt' (drug free).
Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh underscored the threat from Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) "narco-terrorism" game plan, adding that money from the drug trade was being used by the neighbouring country to carry on its "nefarious and divisive activities" in India.
"ISI was trying to play on the sympathies of the Sikhs through steps like the Kartarpur corridor while, (while) at the same time, trying to destabilise Punjab by backing hardliner Sikh For Justice (SFJ's) Referendum 2020," Singh said. "ISI continued to back terror groups, with Pak factory-made grenades found to have been used for terror activities in Punjab."
The chief minister called for closer examination of laws like the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) before implementing them in other states, saying it had a lot of scope for misuse.
Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot said supported Singh's demand for a national drugs policy. He called for strong steps to destroy the parallel economy being run by drug smugglers.
Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar called for a comprehensive joint programme to tackle the problem of drugs, which he described as a "social" rather than a political issue.
Khattar underlined the need to cut off the drugs supply to prevent the youth from getting addicted. He also advocated an interstate cell phone base of live data of absconding offenders and to keep track of dealers and their associates.
The chief minister said Haryana was all set to enact the Haryana Control of Organised Crime Act (HCOCA) to prevent organised crime.
Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jairam Thakur said the state was also considering a legislation on the lines of the MCOCA to tackle the drugs menace. He called for a policy to strengthen the efforts of the northern states.
Thakur said the states would post their officers for coordination at the common secretariat being set up for the purpose in Panchkula, Haryana, by August 15.
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat said the awareness campaign against drugs should be made a part of school education, especially in view of the growing use of women and children as couriers.
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